Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his trip to war-torn western Europe last week in an effort to bolster U.S. support for the beleaguered nation.
Suozzi and a group of five other congressional members began the trip April 1 and were the first delegation to stay overnight for multiple days in Ukraine since the war started six months ago. The delegation remained in Kyiv for two days and visited other sites throughout Ukraine, as well as Poland and Moldova, describing the sound of air-raid sirens in the middle of the night and the sight of mass graves in Ukrainian cities.
“The people of my district would be appalled by what Putin has done,” Suozzi said in a statement, referring to the Russian president. “I am more convinced than ever that he must be stopped and that aiding Ukraine is central to the United States’ strategic and financial interests. I will carry that message forward in Washington this week.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson(R-La.) is facing pressure to follow through on promises to pass new aid for Ukraine as Congress returns from a two-week recess this week.
The Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in February that Johnson rejected. Johnson has held that he won’t support new Ukraine aid without passing tough U.S. border policies. He has not released details on the specifics of a new aid package.
Some Republican legislators are against sending more aid to Ukraine or have said they care more about sending aid to Israel instead.
Far right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) berated Johnson while a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show on X and agreed with Carlson that the speaker is putting the priorities of Ukraine above the priorities of the United States.
But pressure is mounting as Democrat legislators argue that Ukraine can’t hold out much longer without additional U.S. aid.
“The Ukrainians are running out of time, and we must act within the next two weeks,” Suozzi said in a statement.
He defeated Republican-backed opponent Mazi Melesa Pilip in a special election in February to claim the 3rd Congressional District seat of disgraced former Rep. George Santos, flipping the congressional district from Republican to Democrat.
His win represented the first significant victory in a major race for Nassau Democrats in three years, just months after Republicans swept elections throughout Long Island in November.
Suozzi served in the House for three terms from January 2017 to January 2023, representing the 3rd Congressional District. Previously, he served as Nassau County executive from 2002 to 2009 and the mayor of Glen Cove from 1994 to 2001.
The congressman described the situation in Ukraine as devastating: 100,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed, 10 million people have been forced to leave their homes and 20,000 children have been kidnapped and sent to Russia, he said.
Suozzi said he visited with residents who had been held hostage, families whose homes and churches had been destroyed, farmers who found mines in their fields and journalists whose colleagues have been killed.
Zelensky “first and foremost expressed his gratitude to the American people,” Suozzi said in a statement. “He then made it clear that the situation now in Ukraine is dire. Ukraine must be resupplied, and if they are, they can and will stop Putin.”
Zelenskyy wrote about his meeting with the delegation on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I emphasized the vital need for the United States Congress to promptly adopt a decision to further support our state, providing an appropriate package to protect against Russian terror and enable us to continue our dynamic actions,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote a letter to senators Friday, emphasizing the need for additional aid to Ukraine. He said the Senate bill on that aid has sat on the speaker’s desk for more than 50 days, and the longer it sits unpassed, the more desperate Ukraine becomes.
“I have spoken with Speaker Johnson, and I believe that he understands the threat of further delaying the national security supplemental,” Schumer said. “However, Speaker Johnson has to ultimately decide for himself whether or not he will do the right thing for Ukraine, for America and for democracy around the world.”
